Door for cars



Ot. 6, 1931. K. M. HAMILTON DOOR FOR CARS Filed Dec. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 all: 111 1 1 lllllllllfi BCanl M. Hamill/0n ATTORNEY Oct. 6, 1931. K. M. HAMILTON DOOR FOR CARS Filed Dec. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR .5 lfijanl MHanulli on ATTORNEY aa/ Patented Oct. 6, 1931 l 826 244 entree @fFIg KARL HAMILTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AtESIGNOB TO 'lI-IE BETTENDORF COMPAITY, OF BETTEND'ORF, EG WA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA DOOR FOR EARS Application filed December 2, 1929. Serial No. 410,979.

This invention relates to doors for railway Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation lookin car floors and more particularly to doors of toward the outer edge of the door from on? 'the type which are hinged to swing downside of the car, a portion of the car wall 'wardly to permit gravity discharge of loose being broken away to show a portion of the i material from the interior of the car. door and a portion of the car floor adjacent 55 The present invention has for .one of its thereto, objects to provide a door of superior strength Fig. 4e is a fragmentary plan view showing and durability which can be manufactured a modified door frame structure. at a relatively low cost. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line in- A further object is to provide a door in dicated at 5 5 in Fig. I

which the floor boards forming the. face of The accompanying drawings show the the door may extend in a direction at right door of the present invention mounted in a angles to the hinge axis, i. e., in the direcrailway car iioor, a portion only of the car tion of the flow of material over the face of structure being shown. The drawing shows the door during the discharge of material a portion of the car floor 1 and a portion 5 from the car. of the car side wall 2, the car body being sup- A further object is to provide a door havported in the usual manner upon an under ing a one-piece metal frame which has hinge frame composed of a longitudinal center sill members integral with the inner bar of the 3 and cross beams 4 connecting the center ,20 frame and fastener members integral with sill. to the side walls of the car beneath the 70 the outer bar of the frame. floor, one side only of the car structure be-' A further object is to provide a car floor ing shown in the drawings.

.door which has a face or floor portion of a As shown in Fig, 1 of the drawings the size to fit in the opening in the car floor and car floor is provided with a door opening 5 a frame carrying the face portion which pro located between the center sill 3 and the side .75

jects past the marginal edges of the face porwall of the Car, it being understood thatthe f tion to engage with the under side of the door openings may be one of a series of door car floor around the opening and form a seal openings which are arranged along opposite along the edges of the door to prevent leaksides of the center sill.

'30 age of loose material from the car. The door of the present invention is pro an \Vith the above and other objects in view. vided with a metal frame preferably in the the invention may be said to comprise the form of a one-piece steel casting and this door as illustrated in the accompanying frame has inner and outer bars 6 and 7 which drawings hereinafter described and partie extend the full length of the inner and outer ularly set forth in the appended claims toedges of the door and end bars 8 which con- 5 gether with such variations and modificanect the opposite ends of the inner and outer tions thereof as will be apparent to one sltillframe bars 6 and T. The frame is preferably ed in the art to which the invention apperreinforced by intermediate bars 9 and 10, one tains. of which is positioned parallel with and be- Reference should be had to the accompanytween the inner and outer bars 6 and 7 and on ing drawings forming a part of this specificathe other of which is positioned parallel with tion in which and between the end bars 8, the intermediate Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of bars 9 and 10 crossing each other adjacent the car floor having a door opening in which the center of the door frame.

is mounted the door of the present inven- The inner and outer bars 6 and 7 may be tion, a portion of the face or floor portion of any suitable cross-sectional shape and are of the door being broken away to show the shown angle shaped in cross section, being door frame structure. provided with horizontally disposed top Figure 2 is a section taken on the line in-' flanges 12 and 13, the flange 12 of the inner 50 dicated at 22 in Fig. 1. bar extending outwardly from the vertical .position.

web of the bar 6 and the flange 13 extending inwardly from the vertical web of the bar 7. The end bars 8 are provided with inwardly projecting flanges 1d and the intermediate bars 9 and 10 which may be of any suitable cross-sectional shape are shown T-shaped in cross-section and have top flanges 15 and 1G. The flanges of all of the frame bars have llat upper faces lying in a single plane and serve to support the face or floor portion of the door which will presently be described. The door is hinged along its inner edge to swing downwardly and the frame preferably provided with projecting hinge members 17 which are formed integrally with the inner bar (3 of the frame. The hinge members 17 interfit with hinge butts 18 attached to the center sill 3 and are pivotally connected thereto by means of hinge pintles 19.

The face or floor portion of the door is composed of abutting floor boards 20 which are preferably disposed at right angles to the hinge axis with their opposite ends attached to the inner and outer frame bars 6 and 7 Since the top surfaces of the flanges of the frame bars lie in a single plane, the bottoms of the floor boards 20 will lie flat upon the top of the frame, all of the boards being supported intermediate their ends on the intermediate frame bar 9 and the floor boards along opposite edges of the door resting throughout their length on the frame bars 8.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and. 2 of the drawing, the door frame is of a size somewhat greater than the opening in the car fioor, while the floor or face portion of the door formed by floor boards 20 is of a size to fit in the door opening. The door frame projects outwardly beyond each of the marginal edges of the face portion of the door and these projecting portions of the frame bear against the under side of the car floor around the door opening when the door is in closed In order to permit the door to swing freely into and out of closed position, it is necessary to provide some clearance between the edges of the floor portion of the door and the edges of the fioor opening. Vhen the car is filled with loose granular material, the clearance between the edges of the door and the edges of the floor opening may permit some of the material to leak out of-the car.

The door frame of the present invention not only serves as a support for the floor or face portion of the door, but also serves as a seal to prevent leakage of material through the clearance spaces at the edges of the door.

The outer frame bar 7 has integral brackets 22 projecting-from the under side thereof adjacent its ends. These brackets are adapted to receive eye-bolts 23 for a purpose which will presently be explained. Adjacent each of the brackets 22, cams 2% are formed integrally with the door frame and each of these cams has a lower serrated face 25 which curves upwardly at its outer end. For raising and lowering the door, each chain 26 is attached at one end to an eye-bolt 23 and each chain is wrapped around a helically grooved drum 27 fixed to ashaft 28 which extends longitudinally of the car below the door opening. The shaft 28 is mounted to slide inwardly and outwardly in slots 29 formed in the outer end portions of the cross beams 4.

Each chain 26 extends from the eyebolt 33 over the top of the drum, has two or more turns around the drum in the helical groove thereof and has its opposite end attached to the drum. In alinement with each of the serrated cams 24, a shaft 28 has fixed thereto a serrated roller 30 which is adapted to engage with the serrated cam as the door approaches closed position. The shaft 28 may be turned by any suitable means to wind up or pay out the chains 26 and when, turned in a direction to raise the door to closed position, there is a pull on the chain between the drum and the eye-bolt 23, tending to shift the shaft 28 inwardly. The inward pull on the shaft is resisted by the weight of the door until the door is brought close to closed position and the outer end of the slots 29 are downwardly inclined to further retard the inward movement of the shaft.

IVhcn the door has reached a position close to its closed position, the serrated roller 30 will engage with the cam 2% and will roll inwardly on the cam, forcing the door to fully closed position. \Vhen it is desired to open the door, the shaft 28 is rotated in a direction to unwind the chain 26, causing the roller 30 to turn in a direction to cause it to travel outwardly on the cam 24 so that the shaft and roller are moved. to a position clear of the door after which further rotation of the shaft will gradually lower the door until it engages suitable stops such as the brackets 31 attached to cross beams 4.

In Figs. 4; and 5 of the drawings, there is shown a door provided with a frame of slightly difierent construction. In this modification, the frame is provided with inner and outer frame bars 32 and 33, which extend the full length of the inner and. outer edges of the door and these bars are CODDGCtBr by outwardly converging integral bars 3% which are joined to the inner and outer bars in ardly of the ends thereof. described, the frame is further strengthened by crossed intermediate bars 35 and 06. At the inner edge of the frame, hinge members 37 are formed integrally with the frame and project inwardly therefrom for pivotal connection, to suitable hinge butts on the center sill, the hinge members being formed as continuations of the frame bars 34.

At the outer edge of the frame, projecting stops 38 are formed integrally with the frame As in the modification first for engagement with the under side of the car floor to limit the upward movement of the door and these stops are in alinement with the forward ends of the frame bars 34 and form continuations thereof. The door frame in this instance is of a size corresponding to the size of the door opening and the face of floor portion of the door is formed by abutting floor boards 39 which are bolted at their ends to the inner and outer frame bars 32 and 33 with the ends of the boards flush with the outer edges of these bars.

It will be observed that in both modifications above described, the floor boards extend from the inner hinged edge of the door to the outer edge thereof at right angles to the hinge axis of the door so that when the door is in open position, loose material in the car will slide over the floor boards lengthwise thereof. This arrangement. of the floor boards offers less hindrance to the fiow of materialover the face of the door since the grain of the wood and the cracks between adjacent boards extend in the direction of the flow of material. Furthermore, there is a great deal less wear on the floor boards by reason of the freer flow of material over the face of the door and by reason of the fact that the abrasive action is in the direction of the grain of the wood.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides a very rigid door structure possessing great strength and durability and that by reason of the fact that the frame is in the form of a one-piece casting and provided with a fiat surface to which the face or floor portion may be attached, a considerable saving is effected in the cost of manufacture and installation of the door.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular form of apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explain ation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway car, in combination with the floor of the car having a discharge opening, a door adapted to close said opening comprising a one-piece cast metal frame having bars extending along the inner and outer edges of the door and spaced bars connecting said inner and outer bars, hinge mem bers connected to the inner of said bars, and a face portion composed of abutting floor boards attached at their opposite ends to said inner and outer frame bars.

2. In a railway car, in combination with the floor of the car having a discharge opening, a door adapted to close said opening comprising a metal frame having bars extending along the inner and outer edges of the door and spaced bars connecting saidinner and outer bars, hinge members connected to the inner of said bars, and a face portion composed of abutting floor boards extending at right angles to the axis of the hinge members and bolted at their ends to the inner and outer frame bars.

3. In a railway car, in combination with the floor of the car having a discharge opening, a door comprising a metal frame of a shape corresponding to that of the opening and of a size somewhat greater than the opening, said frame having inner and outer bars and bars connecting the ends of said inner and outer bars, said bars having flat marginal portions engageable with the under side of the car floor around said opening, hinge members carried by the inner bars of said frame, a face portion attached to said frame and of asize and shape to fit in said opening, and releasable means for securing the door in closed position.

4. In a railway car, in combination with the floor of the car having a discharge opening, a door comprising a metal frameof a shape corresponding to that of the opening and of opening, said frame having inner and outer bars and bars connecting the ends of said inner and outer bars, said bars having fiat. marginal portions engageable with the underside of the car floor around said opening, {555 hinge members carried by the inner bars of saidframe, a face portion attached to said frame and of a size and shape to fit in said. opening, said face portion being composed of abutting floor boards attached at their 7333 ends to the frame bars.

5. In a railway car, in combination with the floor thereof having a discharge opening, a door adapted to close the opening,x and comprising a one-piece cast metal frame 1793; having bars extending along the inner and outer edges of the door and bars connecting the inner and outer bars, hinge members formed integral with the inner bar, fastener members formed integral with the outer bars, and a face portion of a size to fit in the floor opening attached to said frame.

In a railway car, in combination with the floor thereof having a discharge open-- ing, a door adapted to close the opening, 1153 and comprising a one-piece cast metal frame having bars extending along the inner and outer edges of the door and bars connecting; the inner and outer bars, certain of said bars having top flanges with top faces lying in a 1'93) single plane, hinge members formed integral with the inner bar, fastener members formed integral with the outer bars, and a face portion of a size to fit in the floor opening at tached to said frame.

7 In a railway car, in combination with the floor thereof having a discharge opening, a door adapted to close the opening and CO1 prising a one-piece cast metal frame having bars extending along the inner and outer a size somewhat greater than the edges of the door and bars connecting the inner and outer bars, a face portion of a size to fit in the floor opening attached to said frame, hinge members formed integral with the inner frame bar, and means for securing the door in closed position comprising a cam having a roughened surface cast integral with the outer frame bar, a roller having a roughened surface engageable with the cam and mounted in the car underframe and movable laterally into and out of a position beneath the cam and means for actuating said roller.

8. In a railway car, in combination with the floor thereof having adischarge opening, a door adapted to close the opening and comprising a one'piece cast metal f ame having bars extending along the inner and outer edges of the door and bars connecting the inner and outer bars, certain of said bars having top flanges with top faces lying in a single plane, a face portion of a size to lit in the lloor opening attached to said frame, hinge members formed integral with the inner frame bar, and means for securing the door in closed position comprising a cam having a. roughened surface cast integral with the outer frame bar, a roller having a roughened surface engageable with the cam and mounted in the car underframe and movable laterally into and out of a position beneath the cam and means for actuating said roller.

9. A door for railway car floors comprising a cast metal frame having members extending along the inner and outer edges of the door, and integral spaced members connecting said inner and outer members, integral hinge members carried by the inner of said frame members, and a floor portion comprisin g boards bolted at their ends to said inner and outer frame members.

10. A door for railway car floors comprising a cast metal door frame having integral edge members, integral hinge members adjacent one side of the door and integral means rarried by the door for receiving suitable locking means to hold the door in closed position and a floor portion removably secured to the door frame.

In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature.

KARL M. HAMILTON. 

